Integrated circuits are what power many of today's consumer electronics. Integrated circuits can be found in cellphones, video cameras, portable music players, computers, and even automobiles. As customer demand improves integrated circuit (IC) performance, faster, more reliable, and higher-density circuits need to be produced. Various techniques, such as, stacked die packages and multi-chip modules (MCM), have been developed to meet the continued demands for improving system performance. Commonly, these package structures are formed with a top mold side for device protection and a bottom solder ball side for electrical interconnection.
As demand continues towards a higher density of integrated circuits within a package, vertical integration requires that these protective mold configurations and electrical solder ball pad sites sometimes be formed on the same side. A common example of such a configuration is the board-on-chip design. The board-on-chip design commonly employs a protective mold configuration adjacent an electrical solder ball pad pattern.
Frequently, these packages have a very short mold to solder ball pad clearance. Consequently, the solder ball pad sites adjacent the mold are commonly invaded by mold flash. Unfortunately, mold flash can obscure the solder ball pad site, which can lead to poor of failed electrical interconnections. These electrical interconnect inconsistencies can cause unacceptable package yields and unacceptable device failures upon integration into consumer products. Needless to say, such inconsistencies can also increase production costs.
Thus, a need still remains for a reliable integrated circuit package system and method of fabrication, wherein the integrated circuit package system does not suffer from mold flash that obscures adjacent electrical patterns. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, increasing consumer expectations, and diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. Moreover, the ever-increasing need to save costs, improve efficiencies, and meet such competitive pressures adds even greater urgency to the critical necessity that answers be found to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.